Serious SPF

I'm serious about SPF, both from a health and vanity standpoint. Treating hyperpigmentation has been a huge frustration for my clients, as well as myself. I always tell my clients that prevention is much easier than correction down the road. I'm wearing this very product at the US Open this weekend. Those of you who've been, know that the day matches are the equivalent of you being an egg in a frying pan!

While I use a liquid SPF every morning, I picked up these mineral SPFs by Physicians Formula that double as make-up to have both a physical & chemical sunblock on my side. I also like that I can dust it over my eyes, ears & in the part of my hair. I think this brand offers a really affordable option versus some similar prestige products that are easily double the price ($14.99). As we head into Fall, these are perfect for students playing outdoor sports to keep in their bags. It comes with its own little brush for quick & easy touch ups. 

Peace. Love. Lipgloss.

Melanoma Monday

As an esthetician I deal with the devastating effects of sun damage with my clients on a daily basis.  I'm not even talking about it today from a vanity standpoint- which trust me Beauties once you hit your 30's you'll find out on your own. I'm talking about Melanoma, Basal Cell Carcinoma & Squamous Cell Carcinoma that I've seen with clients as early as their 20's have to deal with. I don't think I'm the only one who's noticed that our environment & our weather is changing. That directly effects what our skin is subject to. Dr. Drew Shindell explains that  UV exposure increases by about 33% for every 20% ozone layer loss. The end result is a roughly 33% increase in the rate of skin cancer. That means that the statistic that more than one in five Americans will deal with it in their lifetime is rising. Luckily the majority of my female clients are really aware of the dangers that are out there & are consistent with their use of SPF, my male clients I struggle more with. 

Which twin do you think worshipped the sun?

 

I always say ran or shine - apply it face, neck/decollete & hands 365 days a year. May is Skin Care Awareness month & today is Melanoma Monday. In honor or bringing awareness to this issue, I've partnered with Neutrogena to give one lucky winner a set of 6 of their fabulous sunscreens valued at over $60. Instructions on how to enter are listed below. So forget the sunblocks of a decade ago, today's technology is lighter in texture (no breakouts with Neutrogena's Clear Face Liquid SPF 55- woo hoo!) & much easier to use. Always try to apply 20 minutes before you head out & reapply- most people never do, which is why the sprays like Neutrogena's Ultra Sheer are so convenient. Remember- healthy skin is beautiful skin!

Peace. Love. Lipgloss.

*To enter leave a comment, for additional entries follow me on twitter: @peacelovegloss , or like my Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/PeaceLoveandLipgloss .  Then list the tally in the comments section. Please have an interacting Twitter handle & not one set up exclusively for giveaways. Giveaway is open to US residents 18 years of older. Contest will wrap 5/12/13 & winner will be listed on my Facebook page- you can then email me your mailing address. Giveaway is mailed from corporate so I have no control over shipping times. Now for even more legal stuff which also applies to the Beauty Blog Coalition Giveaway.

GENERAL
1. All entrants agree to provide the Promoter or the Promoter’s authorized agent with proof of identity, residency, age and/or proof of entry validity if selected as the Prize winner/s or if reasonably requested by the Promoter or the Promoter’s authorized agent. Proof of age, identification, residency and entry considered suitable for verification is at the sole discretion of the Promoter. In the event that the Prize winner cannot provide suitable proof, the Prize winner will forfeit the Prize in whole and no substitute will be offered.

2. No responsibility will be taken by the Promoter for any changes in dates, times or cancellations or other arrangements that may prevent the Prize winner from winning the Prize.

3. The Promoter reserves the right, in its absolute discretion, at any time before the awarding of the Prizes to cancel or vary the Competition or to vary or cancel the award of the Prizes including, without limitation, circumstances where in the Promoter’s opinion (which it shall form in its absolute discretion): (a) a Prize winner does not satisfy the Competition entry requirements; or (b) the Promoter cannot conduct the Competition or award the Prize/s for any reason beyond its control.

4. In the event that the Promoter cancels or varies the Competition or varies or withdraws the Prizes it shall not:
(a) be liable to any person for any loss or damage (including loss or damage caused by any negligence) arising out of, or in connection with, such cancellation, variation or withdrawal; and (b) be required to conduct the Competition at any other time.

5. No responsibility will be accepted by the Promoter for late, lost or misdirected entries and all entries are deemed to be received at the time of receipt of the entry into the Promoter’s database and NOT time of transmission by the entrant. The Promoter will accept no responsibility for any delays to entry caused by technical disruptions or malfunctions. The Promoter accepts no responsibility for outdated or incorrect contact details or contact details by which the entrant cannot be contacted during business hours on the relevant dates.

6. The Promoter accepts no responsibility for any Prize that are damaged, delayed or lost in transit.

7. The Promoter reserves the right to cancel the award of prize/s to, and/or to disqualify any individual who, as determined in the sole discretion of the Promoter, has breached these terms and conditions or who has otherwise engaged in unlawful or improper conduct that is designed to jeopardize the fair conduct of the Competition.

8. Entrants are advised that their personal information may be disclosed to State and Territory lottery departments and their names as the winner may be published as required under the relevant lottery legislation.

9. A decision of the Promoter in relation to the conduct of the Competition is binding and conclusive and no correspondence will be entered into.

10. Entrants enter the Competition at their sole risk. With the exception of liability which cannot be excluded by law, the Promoter shall not be liable for any loss or damage which is suffered (including but not limited to indirect or consequential loss) or for personal injury suffered or sustained as a result of taking the Prize or entering the Competition.

11. All entries become the property of the Promoter and may be communicated to the public by the Promoter or used for promotional purposes, subject to the Promoter’s privacy policy. By entering the Competition, the Prize winner agrees to the use of their name, image, audio-visual recording and/or photograph/s, without compensation, and agrees that the Promoter will own copyright in any such images, audio-visual recordings and photograph/s.
 

What's In My Bag: Beach Edition

My bags are packed, as I'm headed for a nice long beach weekend in sunny Florida. What's in those bags you ask, as signs of Spring finally peaking through have us yearning for summer? Here are a few of my favorite things. A new beach hat- I'm never without a hat if I'm outside for long, this one by Sloggers has SPF 50 in the material. It offers additional shade to my face while protecting an often neglected area- the scalp.

My new Yves St. Laurent sunglasses - a birthday treat to myself. They're massive - just how I like them! My Becca Untitled Lip Balm SPF 20- besides feeling like butter on the lips, it smells like a vacation. Why oh why they just discontinued it, I'll never know!

 My bareMinerals Ready Bronzer & Luminizer. In my attempts to not overpack (read attempt), I grab multipurpose compacts. BareMinerals pressed minerals make them so much more travel friendly than before. The matte bronzer is a believable shade on my Casper self for relaxed, no fuss make-up days at the beach. The highlighter takes it up a notch when headed to dinner & doubles as my eyeshadow.

What are your beach must haves Beauties? Happy Friday!

Peace Love Lipgloss. 

*bareMinerals gifted for review

Dr. Jart BB Cream

Well the BB craze is in full effect across the country. Never have I seen companies jump on a skincare trend as quickly as this.  Every one from Dior to Garnier has launched a BB cream this year, with L'Oreal & Maybelline joining the group with launches this month.  Dr. Jart was introduced to me at the CEW Product Demonstration this year. This BB cream boosts a high SPF of 45PA++ which gets a thumbs up & appeals to the skin care specialist in me. 

The texture is moisturizing, the coverage it offers is medium to full. It imparts a slightly dewy finish so I would steer normal to drier skin types to it.  I reached for it over a lazy weekend & though the tint is supposed to be universal, my best friend laughed at me when she saw me.  I thought I looked like a bronzed Goddess, I guess I looked more like a Florida Grandma whose face does not match her neck. She literally said, "we can't leave with you looking like that." I keep telling myself I'll be one good looking 70 year old, because I stay out of the sun!  I then handed the product off to both my mother & a friend- with the first saying it was too light & the other saying it was too dark.  I felt like Goldilocks, then my friend Gouldylox ironically said it matched her perfectly!  Lesson learned: always test 'universal' tints when possible before purchasing.

Peace. Love. Lipgloss

5 Things

What a delightfully lazy weekend I've spent with friends.  What have I reached for time & again over the last few days? Always, my trusty Tory Burch sunglasses.  I'm also 'that' girl obsessively protecting her skin while out on friends' decks. What can I say? I'm an esthetician, plus just last week I had the Clear & Brilliant laser treatment. Though I would like to be wearing a full bee keeper's uniform, reaching for Physicians Formula's Healthy Wear SPF 50 Powder Foundation & L'Oreal's Colour Riche Balm SPF 15 helps me feel protected.

A little Patron Silver on the rocks with a lot of lime wedges = crisp, refreshing heaven.

I totally fibbed & passed off pasta salad I brought to a cookout yesterday as my own. "Sure I made it from scratch."  As in, yes I opened the box, cooked the pasta & added mayo. Done & delicious. How have you spent the holiday weekend Beauties? 

Peace. Love. Lipgloss. M

Must Have Make-Up Monday

Tomorrow begins the first day of Skin Cancer Awareness month. As an esthetician, it is a month near & dear to my heart- especially having seen so many clients pass through my doors with it. I promise you Beauties- it's not just 65 year olds falling victim.  One in five Americans will get it. Just last week a 30 year old client of mine had to have MOHS (I'll be touching on that this month) surgery on 2 different areas of her face & was in tears.  If not for vanity, then for your health- a SPF 30 is imperative 365 days of the year.  A lot of clients complain to me about the texture of SPF & being acne prone I understand! Until I found my beloved Jan Marini Antioxidant SPF 30, I hated the feel of anything with SPF.  That's why this limited edition kit is great for anyone who's still searching for The One for them. You just need to play with as many as you can until you find the texture that's right for your skin & this kit has over 13 face options to try for only $30!  Plus, one hundred percent of the net profits from Sephora's Sun Safety Kit will go to the Skin Cancer Foundation. It's a win win.

Peace. Love. Protection. M

Physical Fusion UV Defense

One person in the US dies of melanoma every hour. Startling fact- yes? And up to 90% of visible aging is caused by sun exposure. When most think of sunscreens, they often think heavy & thick creams. As a oily skinned girl who's very prone to break outs, I was always weary that sunscreens would clog my pores. But I'm happy to report technology has changed! Just look at Skin Ceuticals' new Physical Fusion UV Defense. It now comes in a universal tint containing translucent color spheres - usually 'universal tints' scare me since I'm so pale. But this tint really adapts to a broad range of skin tones, while boosting skin's radiance. The texture of this product is like a dream, it's so lightweight it feels like nothing is on your skin. Literally it's like water it's so thin & you have to shake it before you apply it. It's also non-comedeogenic & it contains no chemical filters- instead it utilizes 100% mineral filters. So as we head into the holiday weekend, you have no excuse to not protect your skin!

Ironically, whenever I lecture my mother about the sun, she always says, "But I had suncreen on!" Sunscreen is not a force field of protection, it's important to note that even broad spectrum sunscreens only block up to 55% of damaging free radicals caused by UV exposure. That's how strong the sun is- but it's better than nothing. Just make sure you reapply if you're going to be outside all day! Who's looking out for her Beauties? Moi!

Peace. Love. SPF Protection. M

Skin Cancer Awareness Month

May is skin cancer awareness month, something near & dear to my heart being an esthetican. We are seeing more & more cases every year on younger clients- so it's so important for me to educate clients on this largely preventable form of cancer. I wanted to address some myths throughout the month. Here's one common misconception: That the higher the skin protection factor (SPF) the better.


Truth:

SPF ratings can be misleading & are soon to be revised by the FDA. The Food & Drug Administration's SPF ratings only apply to protection from UVB rays. A person needs sun protection that offers both chemical & physical blockers in addition to anti-oxidants. Sometimes a high SPF (for example SPF 100) can offer a false sense of security & could possibly introduce more potentially harmful chemicals to the body. It's important to realize that an an SPF of 40 only has about 1% more protection than an SPF of 30. I always advise using an SPF 30 on a daily basis- applying it to face, decollete & tops of hands {hands are a huge indicator of age!} Remember if outside on vacation- you need to reapply at least every 90-120 minutes!

Peace. Love. SPF. M

Sun Kissed Skin

Pretty, right? I know we all feel a little sexier, feel a little skinnier when we have a tan. But, it's a deal breaker when it comes to aging. Look at the these identical 61 year old twins. Which one do you think was the sun worshipper?

I use this pic every year in my SPF rants. It's funny, I know. But, the sad fact of the matter is that one burn caused inflammation of Kim's skin tissues & did some serious damage in terms of aging. No matter what time of year it is wear an SPF of at least 30 for me girleens. Pretty please?

I know, I know. They're heavy, they break me out- blah, blah. Today's technology has launched amazing breakthroughs from what we used to use 10 years ago. This Kate Somerville serum sunscreen has an SPF55, is chock full of antioxidants and is noncomedogenic.

Our #1 selling product at the spa is this, Jan Marini's Antioxidant Face Protectant SPF30. To know it is to love it. It's texture is so light weight, it's oil free, yup chock full of antioxidants and anti-inflammatory ingredients. Whatever you use, make a habit of it every day- don't stop at the face, take it down on to your decollete and your hands! I promise my beauties, down the road you'll thank me!
Peace. Love. Protection. (SPF, that is!) M